Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame honouring Special Olympics athlete
Advertisement
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/08/2024 (278 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The class of 2024 will be an historic one for the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.
Brita Hall will become the hall’s first Special Olympics inductee. Hall has a combines 14 Special Olympic Games medals in cross-country skiing and track and field.
Hall and the rest of the class will be formally inducted at a ceremony Nov. 7.
“The Induction Ceremony will be a time to revel in the storied journeys of five remarkable individuals and an outstanding team whose contributions have shaped the sport world,” president & CEO of Sport Manitoba Janet McMahon said.
“We eagerly anticipate celebrating your exceptional achievements and honouring your dedication to sport. Your legacies inspire all of us.”
A pair of high profile hockey players will also be inducted into the hall this year.
Ted Irvine was known as the ‘baby-faced assassin,’ as he played more than 700 NHL games over his career between 1963 and 1977. Irvine, who is the father to professional wrestler Chris Jericho, was also instrumental in bringing Special Olympics to Manitoba.
Jennifer Botterill is also headed to the hall. The Winnipeg-raised player is a mainstay on Sportsnet helping cover NHL games, but had a spectacular collegiate and national team career of her own.
She holds the record for most points in an NCAA hockey career and captured three Olympic gold medals with team Canada.
Russ Horbal and Dr. Sandra Kirby make up the builders of the class of 2024.
Horbal is a founder of the Sport Physiotherapy Centre, (formerly Institute for Sports Medicine). He participated in multiple Olympic and Pan-American games as part of Team Canada’s medical team, and has worked with the Jets, Goldeyes and Blue Bombers over the years.
Kirby is a former Olympic athlete, who took that passion into research. She’s helped implement safe sport standards across multiple organizations, and was a multi-sport umpire at the Pan-Am Games in 2011.
In the team category, the University of Manitoba men’s volleyball squad from 1999-2003 is being honoured. The squad had a dominant spell at the top of the collegiate sport mountain, capturing three championships in four years.
Finally, the late Randy Turner, one of the best sportswriters in Manitoba’s history will also be honoured in the Manitoba Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association roll of honour.
Turner started his career with the Winnipeg Free Press as a rural sports reporter before covering the Goldeyes and Blue Bombers. The Bossevain native was lauded for his work until his death in 2019.